


it makes you feel happy like an old-time movie

by justwantedtodance



Series: you send me back on my heels. [3]
Category: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Hogwarts Library, Muggle Culture, New Year's Eve, Pool Sex, Smut, Truth or Dare
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:20:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22023988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justwantedtodance/pseuds/justwantedtodance
Summary: Picks up where Part 2 left off. A continuation of Hogwarts shenanigans with our favorite Slytherin and Gryffindor. Nathaniel learns a thing or two about Muggle culture, and Rebecca learns a thing or two about trusting her instincts.
Relationships: Rebecca Bunch/Nathaniel Plimpton
Series: you send me back on my heels. [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1496063
Comments: 4
Kudos: 25





	it makes you feel happy like an old-time movie

**Author's Note:**

> Props to anyone who can guess where the title of this one-shot comes from!
> 
> I'm not sure how many parts of this there will be, but when inspiration strikes, you're sure to see new content. Hope you enjoy this latest installment!

Nathaniel does have her back home by midnight, if she wants to get technical. Rebecca is inside the castle by midnight but not back in her dorm because he pulls her around a corner and hides to prevent Headmaster Buttenweiser seeing the two of them out of their common rooms well after everyone has been sent off. When his arm snakes around her waist and tugs her body back against his, Rebecca shivers and tries to ignore the sound of her hammering heart probably loud enough to give them away, not to mention Nathaniel’s distractingly hard erection poking into her backside. He is a teenage boy still after all.

Coast is clear, and Nathaniel checks both ways before turning her around and kissing her farewell.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yes, yes, now go before someone catches you,” Rebecca chides in a whisper. Nathaniel can’t stop himself from pressing one more kiss to her cheek before he takes off in the opposite direction. Smiling the whole way back to Gryffindor Tower, Rebecca smooths her hand over the place where his lips last met her skin, and her heart flutters when she thinks of the kisses he left all night long on their date, this one the icing on the cauldron cake.

Late that night, she lies in bed thinks of his sweet face and his hot ass before she falls asleep.

When the next morning comes, breakfast is being served downstairs, and since there aren’t as many rules about who people can sit with on breaks, some of the younger students still there are socializing with their classmates in other Houses. The prefects tend to sit together anyhow, but today, Nathaniel chooses to sit beside Rebecca instead of across from her as per usual. Of course, they’re keeping up appearances for everyone else and pretending that nothing is happening between them, though anyone who’s paying half a mind to their body language (cough cough, Heather Davis) knows what’s going on.

Heather’s now boyfriend, Hector Garcia of Hufflepuff, hang back as Rebecca and Nathaniel stop to talk in the hallway after breakfast. As their conversation goes on, though she’s uninterested in what they’re talking about, she’s mentally checking off all the signs that the two of them are having sex. She shrugs and looks away when he asks her a question, there’s an unhealthy amount of eye contact between them, heads tilting in the same direction, and of course, the infamous flamingo leg… yep, there it is. Rebecca’s laughing, pulling her robes tighter around herself while sliding her foot up her calf and leaning against the wall. The only plausible next step is copulation.

“Hey, if you’re willing to take a study break, let’s do something fun, like maybe you could sneak away to the Muggle Studies classroom this afternoon? Perhaps around 2:00?”

“And what reason would I possibly have to go there? You know I have exams to study for, a Quidditch tournament to prepare for…”

Rebecca rocks back and forth on her heels. “ _ Weeeelllll, _ let’s just say I may have some answers to some of your questions about one of the many Muggle references I make. I’ve been planning this for some time now.”

“You’re always planning something, aren’t you, you scheming witch?” Rebecca laughs as he grabs her hand and gently kisses her knuckles. “I’ll see you this afternoon then.”

They turn their respective ways towards their Houses’ common rooms for some concentrated study while Hector stares at the two prefects in puzzlement. Bunch and Plimpton being friendly with each other? Or more than friendly, by the looks of it?

“Any questions,” Heather deadpans.

“So many questions, so little time.”

Heather leads Hector towards the library by his elbow. “Ok, you can close your mouth now. Don’t— no, stop staring. I’ll explain everything to you later.”

Hours later, Hector finally gets caught up to speed on what happened at the Yule Ball, and the talk of the hour prefects are making their way to the Muggle Studies classroom, Rebecca arriving just minutes before Nathaniel to set up their haven for the next two hours complete with a spread of pillows and blankets to cuddle on.

The lights are dimmed when Nathaniel pushes the door open, and he calls Rebecca’s name softly wondering if she’s arrived yet. When he feels a pair of arms wrap around his waist, he jumps for a second but quickly finds familiarity when the stranger nuzzles into him.

“Ah, there you are.” Nathaniel covers her arms with his and hugs her back.

“Awww, you knew it was me?”

“Of course. You’re the only person I know who’s short enough to wrap their arms around my waist but still only come up to the middle of my back.”

Folding her arms and stepping beside him, Rebecca stares him down. “Judge me by my size, do you?”

“I would never. In fact, I believe the line goes ‘though she be but little, she is fierce.’ Shakespeare, if I’m not mistaken.”

Rebecca’s mouth drops in astonishment. “ _ A Midsummer Night’s Dream _ , I’m impressed. You’re learning more about my people every day. It’s really hot when you understand Muggle things.” 

“Oh yeah?” For his recollection, Rebecca nods and rewards him with a kiss that quickly turns steamy before either of them anticipate. She quickly stops herself before things escalate beyond their self-control (which is already thin to begin with) and leads him over to the den of pillows and blankets she’s laid out for them.

“So, I know you always question why I make so many references to things you don’t understand, so I figured that we could use this time to get you better acquainted with some of the things that may have been lost on you. May I present, live and in color,  _ Star Wars _ .” She takes a bow with flourish and skips to the projector to fire up the movie.

She returns back to their collection of pillows and blankets and covers up with a thick quilt to keep the December chill from invading her bones, not that she particularly has to when cuddling with Nathaniel.

“Ahh, my own personal space heater.”

“Wait, space heater? Is that some kind of intergalactic heating system? For aliens or something? Are there space heaters in this movie? How would that even work where there’s no atmosphere though?”

“Oh god, no. This has gotten wildly out of hand. Let me curb your curiosity. A space heater is just a heater for a small space. Lots of Muggle homes have centralized heating, so we don’t rely on fireplaces like you antiquated pureblood folk.”

Nathaniel scoffs. “Antiquated? I’ll have you know that the Plimpton Estate is  _ historic _ and is full of fascinating stories about my family. We do perfectly well with the technology we have available, thank you very much. The rest is what we have magic for.”

“Whatever you say. I’m perfectly fine with my TV and iPhone.”

Rebecca lies on her side and rests her head on Nathaniel’s chest as the opening crawl rolls across the screen.

“This is somehow supposed to be answering my questions, yet I seem to have more now,” he grumbles about five minutes in.

Rebecca swats his folded arms and tries to wipe the pout off his face with a kiss to his cheek. “Shhh, it’ll make sense soon, I promise.” With a smile, she makes a bowl appear filled with puffed up flower-like things.

“What in Merlin’s name is that,” he exclaims.

“Popcorn. It’s a Muggle snack. We usually eat it when watching movies. Try some; it’s really good.”

He eyes the food suspiciously. “You know I can’t be eating junk with the next Quidditch tournament coming up soon. I have a physique to maintain.”

“Yeah, yeah, you’ve got to keep that hot body for all those Ravenclaw witches who want you fuck their brains out in the Changing Rooms, right,” she teases, her hand stroking his chest.

“Oh, shut up.” He pecks her lips as he shakes his head.

“First off, you have the rest of the next month to get in shape, so one little treat isn’t going to be the death of you. And anyway, popcorn is relatively healthy in comparison to other Muggle snack foods I could have made you try. God knows what you’d think of a Twinkie. Come on, just taste it.” She pouts her lower lip out and brightens her voice to a baby-like pitch. “Come on, Nathaniel, have one little itsy-bitsy bite. For me?”

“You know the baby voice doesn’t work on me, and neither does that insufferable pout,” he grumbles.

She flutters her eyelashes innocently. “You sure?” Rebecca takes a few kernels of popcorn and places them in her mouth, chewing them up with a raunchy moan and licks her fingers one at a time of the popcorn salt residue left behind. Of course, she looks him dead in the eyes as she does it.

“You evil wench.” Nathaniel barely dodges the popcorn bowl to Rebecca’s right side when he pins her flat and sucks on her bottom lip that she so annoyingly poked out at him. His knee is placed strategically to where if she inches down, she could relieve some of the pressure building in her core at Nathaniel’s relentless assault of her lower lip. When she tries though, he senses her desires but refuses to let her act on them. “Ah-ah-ah. We’re watching a movie now, remember? You have to show me this ‘cinematic art,’ I believe you called it, before anything else happens.”

“The art will still be there in two hours,” she mumbles under her breath as Nathaniel moves off of her. He pulls her into his chest spooning her from behind and dropping a kiss in her hair.

“Patience is a virtue, love. Ever heard of delayed gratification? You want something so bad at the moment, but waiting for it makes it so much better, so much stronger. Trust me, after this film is done, I’ll give you something to rave about.”

The next two hours are spent with Rebecca trying to ignore the throbbing between her legs as Nathaniel holds her close and casually runs his hands along the skin underneath her sweater. She’s wearing these Muggle denim trousers that do absolute wonders for her ass, and it’s been increasingly difficult for Nathaniel to keep his hand out of the back pocket of them. He’s determined to show her how magical an orgasm can be when it’s been properly earned.

He compares the Jawas to Dementors, and barking out a laugh, she agrees. She’s not been able to shake the image of those nasty creatures since she first saw the movie years ago. Each time he hears something she’s referenced before, he gives her a nudge. At least it’s all coming together now.

Eventually, Nathaniel does begrudgingly try a kernel of popcorn and laments about the amount of salt he’s consuming that’s bound to make him retain water weight. To shut him up, Rebecca tosses a handful at his face and giggles maniacally when he recoils from the salty assault. She’s the one who’s shut up in a matter of seconds, however, when Nathaniel slides the bowl away from her and climbs on top of her, pinning her hands to the floor. Immediately, her giggles subside, and her heart thumps louder than the movie score as she looks up into Nathaniel’s hungry eyes.

“You should know better than to attack me when you know I can easily overpower you.”

“Oh my. Well, whatever will you do with your prisoner now,” Rebecca asks breathily as he knee slips between her legs.

Nathaniel chuckles and brings his lips down to her ear like he’s going to kiss her. And god, won’t he already?! He waits, breathes in time with her and lets the air around her thicken. She’s sufficiently trapped by his body, and she fucking loves it. “Open your hand,” he orders. Rebecca complies immediately. “Good girl.” Her breath hitches in her chest at his praise. Godric help her, she’s totally fucked. He’s not even kissed her, barely even touched her, and she’s already a subservient puddle at his feet. Unbelievable.

Of course, the shift of her center against his thigh and the tiny whimper she lets out doesn’t go unnoticed. Nathaniel tips her chin up and taps her lips, wordlessly requesting her to open her mouth. By gods, she has the most perfect mouth. He plucks two pieces of popcorn from her open hand, still pinned to the ground by his own, and feeds them to her until her hand is empty. It takes much longer than she had anticipated, mostly because he insists on drawing out the tension mercilessly and stopping when she moves anything other than her mouth. She thinks she can get away with teasing him earlier? Not if he has anything to say about it. Turnabout’s fair play after all.

He finishes his feeding her the salty snack and gives in to the temptation to taste her, licking stray popcorn salt from the corners of her mouth. Now she can’t argue that he didn’t taste any. Nathaniel resolves her pleading with a kiss but pulls away despite her deliciously pouting bottom lip at his denial of her request for more.

They continue the space opera until its conclusion, but they choose not to leave the comfort of the classroom. Rebecca’s eyes fall shut quickly after the credits roll, and Nathaniel stays with her, letting her nap on his chest. Another time, he thinks, he’ll show her that magical orgasm. For now, he lets her rest and holds her, watching her sleep peacefully.

She stirs about an hour later just in time for dinner, and the two of them walk down the stairs and sit together once again. Suspicious eyes continue to rove over them at their behavior, especially from the other prefects, and they know that people will begin asking questions soon. At least tonight, they have patrol together.

As usual, the Gryffindor and Slytherin prefects make their nightly hallway patrols and break up the rambunctious group of first years that are up to bothersome but harmless shenanigans. They finish their route, and he offers to walk with her back towards Gryffindor Tower, stopping at the portrait to give her a good night kiss.

The Fat Lady begins to sing an aria about young lovers that startles the other portraits awake on the walls surrounding them. They break apart, Rebecca’s heart racing suddenly at the cacophony of painted characters gushing over the couple in the hall.

“What a sight! You two make quite the couple.”

“Darling, he’s the best looking thing I’ve seen in 300 years. Why haven’t you brought him around before?”

“Oh my, that’s one of the Plimpton boys! I remember when his father went to school here, and my, was he handsome—“

“And that’s my cue,” Nathaniel interrupts, clearing his throat at the uncomfortable mention of his father’s good looks back in the day. He gives her a final kiss on the cheek. “Good night, love.”

“Good night.” She waits for Nathaniel to descend the stairs before whispering the password to the portrait on her left.

“That’s a fine wizard you’ve got there, Miss Bunch,” the Fat Lady comments. “He seems taken with you. And you with him, I presume.”

Rebecca takes a breath. Her attraction to Nathaniel came on so suddenly that she hasn’t had time to process her feelings with the drama from the Yule Ball and beyond. The Fat Lady presumes correctly. She smiles up at the woman on the wall and shoots her a wink to let her know. Even if Rebecca isn’t ready to admit it out loud, she’s quite taken with Nathaniel Plimpton. He really is sweet, not just for a pureblood.

* * *

The next day, the snow keeps everyone indoors, which means Nathaniel can’t practice Quidditch or go for a run. He supposes he could use the ever-changing staircases as conditioning, but he knows he needs to study some for O.W.L.s over the holiday. Taking his backpack with him, he heads into the library to power through some Arithmancy.

He sets his things down at a table with a sigh, unloading his textbooks from his pack, when he spots Rebecca in the alcove leaning against the snow-covered window with her head dreamily lost in the book she’s reading and legs tucked beneath her. The dark red cable-knit sweater swallows her curves, its large size dwarfing her hands inside the sleeves, and she’s discarded her short boots on the floor beside her, long gray socks covering her feet to keep the chill out. Her hair is piled into a lazy bun atop her head with a few short stray pieces falling from the front and the back. Nathaniel has to stop and stare at her. She’s… beautiful.

She’s at such peace in the moment that he doesn’t want to disturb her, but he has to let her know how gorgeous she is exactly like that. He wishes he could take a photograph of her like that. In her tucked away corner of the library, she’s completely serene and absorbed in her own world where nothing else matters. No one comes to this section of the library anyhow, but she’s staked claim on it for as long as she can remember. Something about the light filtering in through the window and being so close to nature helps regulate her emotions and calms her anxiety when she feels herself losing touch. It settles her to be in this place: the scent of the parchment from the books, the stillness of the air. This is her happy place. Her place where no matter what’s going on at school or what troublesome letter her mother sends via owl post, she can escape in a mystery, an adventure, a history, even a romance, and retreat from the world for a while in peace.

Until Nathaniel knocks a book off of the table he’s leaning on and it clatters to the floor with an unceremonious bang.

Rebecca’s head snaps up at the unwelcome intrusion of her train of thought and looks around until she finds Nathaniel standing a few feet away looking guiltily at her.

“Uhh, sorry about that.” Nathaniel looks away and scratches behind his ear.

“It’s okay. You should have taken a picture, though. It’ll last longer,” she teases, folding the page of her book down to mark it before setting it aside.

“You knew I was, ummm…?”

“I had my suspicions that someone might be nearby. You’re one of the only people I know who would be polite enough not to disturb me intentionally.”

He laughs. “Ah-ha. May I?” He gestures to the seat where Rebecca is, and she nods with a smile, scooting forward inviting him to sit behind her. Nathaniel slides in on the bench and places his legs on the outside of hers, pulling her backwards to settle between his legs. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he kisses the side of her head. “What are you reading?”

“ _ Serpent & Dove _ . It’s a fantasy romance novel, clearly nothing of interest to you.”

“Perhaps not, but serpent and dove somehow feels almost too on-brand. Did you choose this one intentionally?”

She shakes her head picking up the book again. “No, not intentionally. I found the summary intriguing when I was browsing the shelves earlier this morning, and I’ve not been able to put it down since.”

She’s about halfway finished with the book, and at this rate, she’ll be finished by supper, he’s certain. “I can see that. Are you able to read at lightning speed or something?”

“Among other things,” she flirts as she leans back against him, swiveling her hips just a little.

Nathaniel makes a low sound in his throat, wrapping his hand around her hip. “Do you take pleasure in teasing me in public, you temptress?”

She doesn’t answer, instead opening her book to where she left off with a devious smile painting her lips. Rebecca does love to get a rise out of him. She knows how much she affects him when she’s around and will take any opportunity she’s given to make him flustered.

“Don’t you have work to do?” She crosses one ankle over the other and sighs as she leans back into him. He kisses the side of her neck, his teeth digging in ever so slightly, just enough to make her flinch, and summons his Arithmancy book to study. Of course, with the way she’s pressed against him, he’s not likely to get much studying done. 

Rebecca sits back further and absorbs herself in her reading while still paying attention (very close attention) to Nathaniel’s hard-on behind her. Every so often, she’ll take notice of it and offer him some relief in shifting her hips to one side or the other. Continue to play the game, just how he likes it. He gives it right back though, planting deep kisses by her ear or on the pulse point of her neck to make her lose her place on the page. She should be annoyed, but the payoff of her teasing will certainly be worth it.

She’s correct, as she finds out later that night. 

The prefects gather together for a holiday party to ring in the almost-new year in their shared bathroom, which means swimsuits on and Firewhisky out. The crew is mostly fifth and sixth years, but a few seventh years come join the fun and leave patrols to the Heads for the evening. With the taps turned to all the finest scents and the shot glasses poured and ready to throw back, it’s really time to party.

The girls mingle together, Valencia carrying most of the conversation, while the boys catch up and fill the pool. Noticeably missing, though, is Rebecca.

“Hey, where’s Bunch,” Nathaniel asks. “She should be at this shindig since she’s the one who suggested it, right? She gave that whole Inter-House unity speech, bringing friends together, blah blah blah.” Valencia shoots him a knowing look as if she knows something he doesn’t. Right, have to keep up appearances. “Not that I care. I don’t care, obviously.”

Smooth, dude. Valencia injects the sentiment in a classic V eye roll.

“So sorry I’m late. I got caught up studying in the library and lost track of time. Oh! You’re all here!” There’s the Gryffindor princess, looking around at the group of people she invited, and they all showed up. She can’t believe it! “Ok, soooooo, who’s ready to par-tay?!”

Everyone lets out a chorus of woohoos and strips off their robes to jump in the pool. Rebecca gives Valencia and Heather each a hug before her eyes wander over to Nathaniel, who’s peeling off his shirt much too slowly to be unintentional, and he’s looking her directly in the eyes. Hot damn, those abs. It’s embarrassing, but she nearly comes at the sight of his swim shorts hanging low on his hips and his blue-gray eyes rooting her to the spot. There’s almost a challenge in his eyes. “I’ve showed you mine, now you show me yours,” he might have said if they were alone.

Thankfully, no one notices the sultry smile Rebecca flashes at him. Think you’re a sly dog, do you? Well, payback’s a bitch, good sir. Rebecca unfastens the top clasp of her robe and lets it fall behind her in a heap revealing the black bustier style swimsuit adorned in lace across her chest with a cheeky pair of bottoms to match. Little devil’s going to be the death of him, he swears. She turns away immediately and goes back to gabbing with her friends as if she didn’t even see him staring.

A few have ventured into the water swirling with pumps from the taps of rose hip, vanilla, jasmine, and cedarwood. Everyone takes a shot glass from the tray being passed around the edge of the pool, and Rebecca raises hers to offer a toast.

“A toast? To great friends, to unforgettable nights, and to a happy new year.”

“Hear, hear!” Valencia clinks hers on the pool edge before tossing it back, and everyone follows suit, the Firewhisky burning deliciously down their throats. Now the festivities can really begin.

The liquid courage helps when the round of Truth or Dare begins per Valencia’s suggestion. It’s a Slytherin common room favorite, especially when including younger students to see how far they’ll go to complete a dare. The softer Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws tend to shy away from these types of games, but the proud and adventure-seeking Gryffindors and Slytherins immediately jump into the fray.

“Ok, before we start, can we establish some ground rules?” All the Slytherins give her a look of annoyance.

“You and your rules, Bunch. Don’t you know how to have fun,” Nathaniel teases, raising a chuckle from some of the other boys around the pool.

Rebecca jumps up from the pool onto the ledge in the water, exposing the tops of her breasts just above the water. “For your information, I know how to have plenty of fun. I guess you’ll have to show me how you have fun the Slytherin way.”

He doesn’t miss the way she crosses one leg over the other and fixes him with a hungry look. Oh, he’ll show her Slytherin fun alright.

“As I was saying,” she continues, “no dares that can get us killed, or worse, expelled. And the penalty for not completing a truth or dare is a shot of Firewhisky.”

Fair enough, everyone concedes. After the agreement, it’s time for the game to begin.

For the most part, the questions and dares are surface level at least in the beginning to ease some of the more reluctant players into the game. Nathaniel is challenged by a seventh year to hold his breath underwater until someone calls on him again, and like the prideful boy he is, he doesn’t stand down. It’s been too long when the game goes round after round without a mention of his name, and just when Rebecca thinks his lungs are about to burst, Heather takes pity on him and asks him the fateful question.

“Hey Plimpton, truth or dare?”

He resurfaces with ease. “Wow, I’m done already?” Show-off. “I’ll go with truth this time.”

“Care to dispel a rumor? The rumor mill says you’ve got it bad for another prefect. Is that true?” Everyone whispers to each other and looks around to see who it might be. Instantly, Rebecca’s heartbeat speeds up. She catches Nathaniel’s eyes in concern. Of course she doesn’t want to go public with… whatever this is. And as much as he’d like to swagger around claiming the Gryffindor princess as his girlfriend or at the very least fuck buddy and possibly more, he knows to respect her wishes evident in her tightly pressed lips and wide eyes.

“ _ Accio  _ Firewhisky,” he mumbles amid the frenzy. He pours a shot as the others speculate around him. “The prefect part is true, but I won’t say who it is.”

Heather looks puzzled. “I didn’t ask that.”

“But you were going to,” Nathaniel retorts. “I know how this game works. Don’t try to outsmart me.” He continues the game by asking sixth year Hufflepuff Susie Reynolds if she’s ever had a sexual fantasy about a professor. Of course he’d go there, Rebecca thinks with an eye roll.

The baton eventually gets passed to Valencia who asks Rebecca which option she chooses. Foolhardiness seizes hold of her, and she chooses dare. Damn those two shots of Firewhisky.

“Get in the center of the pool.” Rebecca eyes her friend nervously. “Now, spin around with your eyes closed until I say stop, then you have to kiss the person you’re facing.  _ With _ tongue.”

Would straight-laced Rebecca actually do it? The other prefects don’t seem to think so as evidenced by their snickering. But Rebecca doesn’t back down from challenges so easily. She isn’t a Gryffindor for nothing. There’s no one frightfully unattractive in the room, both boys and girls, though Rebecca certainly has her preferences of who she’ll be kissing. Closing her eyes, she begins twirling in the pool. Her five spins around herself seem to take a thousand years until Valencia commands her to stop.

Rebecca opens her eyes and finds herself facing Nathaniel. In public, her sworn enemy. In private, her friend, or at least her classmate with benefits. She swims over to Nathaniel, pulling her lower lip into her mouth to hide her smile. Everyone else waits with bated breath to see what will happen.

“You can take the shot, you know. I won’t be mad,” Nathaniel whispers just loud enough for her to hear.

Rebecca jumps up to where he sits on the steps and slides into his lap. “Fuck that. Let’s give them a little show.”

He has to hide the growl that escapes his mouth with a splash of water as Rebecca’s mouth collides with his. His hands find her wavy hair and tangle in the strands as he deepens the kiss and slips his tongue into her mouth. She reciprocates in kind, opening her mouth hungrily, begging for his taste on her tongue. Their bodies are electric moving together in sinful harmony as the whistling from their peers only ignites their passion further.

The other prefects all look to each other in shock while Heather and Valencia sit back on their hands to look at each other and admire their scheming.

As much as the two of them would love for their needy display of affection to continue, they aren’t alone in this bathroom. He takes note of revisiting this position later on when they can have the bathroom to themselves. Perhaps he could sneak her into the Changing Rooms shower after a match. If it’s worked for Chan, it can certainly work for him.

“Thanks for showing me some Slytherin fun, Plimpton,” Rebecca says with a wink as she swims back to the other side of the large bath and takes her place on the ledge.

The game continues for a few more rounds as the questions get more personal and the dares get racier. Eventually, everyone starts to tire out, and they begin to break off to head back to the dormitories. The few remaining, Rebecca, Heather, Valencia, Jim Kittsworth, who is the Gryffindor prefect in Rebecca’s year, and Nathaniel, stay until the water turns lukewarm and they’ve all reached their Firewhisky limits.

“I’ll clean up everything, you guys can head back.”

“You sure you don’t need any help, Rebecca,” Jim asks, trying but failing to hide his desire for a private moment alone with her after her little performance earlier.

“I got it, Jim, thank you though.” She tries to be polite but firm, and thank Godric he takes the hint. He takes his leave with the other two girls while Nathaniel hangs back for a moment. They close the door, but Heather and Valencia are immediately pressed against it and cracking it open just a touch to hear what the two people left inside are saying.

“Hey, what are you—?”

The two girls shush him. “Shh! Something’s happening. Do you want in or out?”

“Me, pass up the opportunity for sizzlin’ hot goss? Never,” Jim says quietly, poking his head above Heather and Valencia’s.

“Don’t you dare distract me from cleaning,” Rebecca admonishes as she catches Nathaniel staring at her ass.

“Me? Distract you from cleaning? Why, Miss Bunch, how presumptuous of you. Please continue; don’t mind my being here.” Even though she’s turned away from him, she can absolutely hear the smirk in his voice.

“Oh bloody hell, can’t they just f—“

Valencia smacks his arm. “Shut up, Jim!”

Inside the bathroom, Nathaniel’s hand brushes her lower back after she collects the handful of shot glasses and stuffs them in her backpack. “Hey, I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I know we haven’t really talked about it—“

“No, it’s fine, really. I didn’t mean to put you on the spot or anything with that kiss and all. So, I’m sorry, too.”

“Nothing to be sorry for, especially not that kiss. That was…” Words escape him, and he can only exhale audibly. “You make it very difficult for me to control myself around you.”

“So it’s true then? You do ‘have it bad’ for a certain prefect?”

Nathaniel tucks a piece of hair behind her ear. “Oh, I’ve got it bad. So,  _ so _ bad.”

He tilts her chin up and kisses her softer than earlier in the night. She rises up on her tiptoes and wraps her arms around his neck, one of her hands working into the soft short hairs on the back of his head. Rebecca’s foot lifts off the ground as they continue to kiss, and outside, Heather shoos them away. She knows exactly what’s about to happen.

“Let’s not be voyeurs, come on. Give them their privacy.” Heather and Valencia start to exit into the hall but Jim doesn’t follow. He’s too mesmerized by Nathaniel’s hand on Rebecca’s ass and simultaneously seething at how lucky that bastard is. He and Rebecca have had a sort of “will they or won’t they” situation in the past, that’s at least according to him. Rebecca can assure the masses that there was never (and will never be) a thing.

Valencia snaps her finger at the Gryffindor. “Hey! Come on, don’t be a perv.”

Reluctantly, Jim leaves with the other two, barely restraining himself from sending a hex to Nathaniel’s balls.

Back inside, Rebecca jumps up and wraps her legs around Nathaniel’s waist, and he carries her to the window ledge, placing her down gently on the bench.

“We should probably head back soon. I think the others will start to worry and might come looking for us.” Nathaniel doesn’t want to let her go, but he knows it’s the right thing to do.

Rebecca whines and tugs his neck down to pull him in for another kiss. “But I thought we were gonna…”

“I don’t know if we have enough time for that now. But I’m sure I have time to help you out a bit. Would you like that?” Rebecca nods quickly, kissing him again. He chuckles at her eagerness and breaks away from her kiss to whisper in her ear. “Show me how bad you want it.”

The high-pitched sigh she lets out is so uncharacteristic of her, but it displays every ounce of the desperation that fills her bones. She moves his hand down to her hot center and moans when she feels his touch offering her some relief. Nathaniel moves away for a moment, only to return now sitting behind her just like he was earlier in the library, his hand between her legs now underneath her bikini bottoms. They’ll have to be quick if they don’t want to get caught, but luckily, Nathaniel’s learned the most efficient ways to get her off in their brief time spent in their clandestine affair. Dirty talk is absolutely one of them.

“This is what you wanted in the library this afternoon, isn’t it? You wanted me to slide my hand under those tight jeans, shove my fingers inside of you, make you struggle to not let a sound escape. I wonder what Mrs. Hernandez would say if she found out her most avid reader was engaged in illicit activities in the stacks, and I don’t mean going in the Restricted section without permission. Dirty girl, you are.”

“Only for you.” She makes the most delicious sounds when she’s in the throes of passion, he thinks. It makes him thrust his fingers faster, increase the pressure on her clit just to hear her moan like that again.

“God, you’re fucking perfect.” He worships her most redeeming qualities into her neck as he continues to stroke her. “Don’t hold back, Rebecca. Come for me.”

She doesn’t hesitate in clenching her innermost muscles around his fingers, and moments later, Rebecca feels the orgasm begin to wash over her. Spasming around his fingers with insane speed and force, Nathaniel helps her recover by petting her shoulder and kissing her hair, reminding her to breathe all the while. Being so worked up earlier in the day without the snap of tension led her to have such an intense orgasm now that it’s difficult to regain her bearings as she comes down from her high.

Rebecca turns over and situates herself across his lap when he starts to pull away. “Are you sure we don’t have time? I want you so badly, Nathaniel.” She grinds her center into him. “Come on, please?”

“Shit, Rebecca.” He’s helpless to resist her. Always has been, and always will be. He takes his wand from his robe and casts a charm to fill up the tub again as he lifts her up onto his hips. “If we’re going to do this, we’re doing this right.”

He sets her feet flat on the edge near the stairs to strip off his robe, and she follows suit, dipping her toes inside the pool. Before she can sink back into the warm water, Nathaniel clears his throat to catch her attention. She turns around, and there he is. Completely naked.

The blush that blooms on her cheeks should be embarrassing, but the way her face heats up is a feeling Rebecca loves because it’s a sight Nathaniel could never tire of seeing.

“Oh, so we’re…?”

“Scared, Bunch?”

Rebecca laughs haughtily. “Me? Scared? As if. Come on, Plimpton, I’m not scared. This ain’t my first rodeo.”

“Your first what?”

“Never mind, just get in the pool.”

He brushes past her, tapping her ass as he descends into the pool, turning expectantly to face her. She reaches behind her back to unhook her top slowly dragging it away from her body to expose her breasts to his hungry gaze. Rebecca flings her top into the pile of their clothes and hooks her thumb into her bottoms so that they too can join the rest. Under the water, Nathaniel takes a hand to his cock, rubbing his thumb over the head as she strips the last of her clothing and swims over to him like she did not that long ago.

She’s back on his lap, her arms around his neck, kissing the air from his lungs. Rebecca moans when his hand cups her ass, shifting her higher on him. Her legs wrapped tightly around his waist, she knows she’s safe in his hold, but he takes a seat on the ledge to give her a bit more peace of mind. One of her wet hands tangles in his hair; thank the gods he’s grown it out some since the beginning of the year. All the more for her to play with.

The same can be said of her, as Nathaniel loosens the elastic from the messy bun keeping Rebecca’s dark locks carelessly pulled back from her face. She whines when she feels him taking her hair down since she knows it’s going to get wet, and in a dark castle with no internal heating save for fireplaces, she wants to avoid getting sick as much as possible.

“I’ll be careful, promise,” he mumbles against her lips as he loops the red and gold scrunchie around his wrist. Nathaniel slides his hand between her legs, and she keens into his touch when his fingers slip inside of her. “So ready for me, aren’t you?”

Rebecca nods with a moan and waits for him to finally fuck her. It hasn’t been very long since they last did this, but her desperation is much more pronounced than usual today after the exhibitionist foreplay still on her mind. Finally, Nathaniel grants her wish and adjusts her to sit further on his lap once she’s comfortable.

Between her raspy breaths and pleas for him to fuck her harder, deeper, faster… he barely contains himself from releasing inside of her.

“Rebecca, I’m close,” he chokes as he tightens his grip on her hip.

“Do you want me to stop?”

He shakes his head. “Not yet. Fuck, you feel good…”

She just finds her orgasm before he’s pulling out and releasing on her chest. What a pretty picture she makes, he thinks. Nathaniel had been wanting to do that for some time, but now he finally got his secret wish granted.

He takes just a moment longer to kiss her, the sensuality of their clandestine encounter still buzzing in the air. They know they have to leave soon, though their reluctance to do so is growing stronger by the minute. Eventually, they do pull themselves out of the pool, wrap back up in their robes, and clean up the bathroom before leaving.

Nathaniel walks her back to her dormitory, just as he does when they patrol together, but this time, he holds her hand the entire way up the stairs of Gryffindor Tower. Who gives a Hippogriff’s ass what anyone has to say about it? Rebecca’s smiling and leaning on his shoulder, and he takes it as a sign that she’s enjoying this contact.

“You’re coming to the celebration for the new year tomorrow night, right,” she asks as they pause in their usual spot before the portrait.

“As long as you’ll be there, I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Nathaniel kisses her softly and squeezes her hands as he turns away to return to his dormitory.

Rebecca sighs and pulls her lower lip into her mouth. She’s one damn lucky witch indeed to have the affections of the most attractive boy in their year and possibly the ones above.

“If you like him, then you should just put a charm on him,” the Fat Lady remarks, snapping Rebecca from her trance. “You know if you don’t, some other witch will, and I know you don’t want that.”

“And how would you know what I want when  _ I  _ don’t even know what I want?”

“It’s written all over your face, dear. You’re acting as if you don’t know what you want when you  _ do _ know, but you won’t allow yourself to have it.”

Rebecca scoffs. “Right, because I’m going to take advice from a woman who lives in a frame.”

“I was a woman before this, you know, Rebecca. But if you won’t hear it from me, perhaps talk to Professor Proctor. She’s quite gifted in Divination, and if it’s answers you seek, she might have them.”

The young witch smiles at the painting on the wall before uttering the password to the common room. “Thanks for the note.”

“Anytime.”

* * *

The next morning immediately after breakfast concludes, Rebecca rushes to the Divination Tower to hopefully catch Paula in a free moment. She’s currently in a discussion with the lively Professor Whitefeather when Rebecca knocks frantically on the door and opens it before Paula can let her in.

“I apologize for my rudeness, Professor, but I really need to talk to you.”

“Oh, good morning, Rebecca,” Darryl greets. “Exciting things are happening with the big countdown to the New Year tonight. You’re planning to be there, right?”

Rebecca takes a breath. “Hi, Professor Whitefeather. That’s actually what I came here to talk about, if you have a moment to spare, Pau— Professor Proctor?”

“Of course. Here, you can have my seat,” Darryl offers, letting Rebecca take the chair across from Paula’s desk. Darryl doesn’t take the hint though and stands off to the side of the room while Rebecca takes her seat.

“Sorry, Whitefeather, I think she meant for this to be girl talk. You get it, right?”

“No worries, I will just be right outside.”

Paula grits her teeth. “Yeah, something tells me this might take a while.”

Darryl nods. “And you are the most gifted Divination professor this school has seen in years. That’s alright, then, I’ll leave you ladies to it. See you tonight, Rebecca.”

She shoots her professor a smile as he exits the room, and Paula leans back in her chair heaving a sigh. “Thank Salazar you came in when you did. If I had to hear one more detail about the spread at the h'orderves table, I might have shattered this crystal ball against my skull. What’s up, turtledove?”

“It’s about Nathaniel—“

“Oh, honey, let me get something stronger if you wanna talk about that.” Paula summons some Firewhisky and pours it into her teacup. Rebecca’s jaw drops open. “What? We’re not in session, I’m technically off-duty right now. I can’t offer any to you since you’re not of age, though. Sorry, munchkin. Alright, so what’s going on with you and His Highness?”

Rebecca takes a breath and launches into her story. “So, at the Yule Ball last week, as you know, the punch was laced with Veritaserum. And that night, he confessed that he’s been harboring feelings for me. Like real feelings, not just sexual ones. So, he took me out on a date the next day, and Paula, it was  _ perfect _ . He was so kind and funny and romantic…”

Paula smiles along with Rebecca. She knows the feeling of being young and in love as well, especially when her now-husband charmed her with his sweet baritone in the Frog Choir in their sixth year. She recognizes the same dreaminess in her former student’s eyes and knows that she has deep feelings for the fifth-year prefect in her House.

Suddenly, Rebecca’s smile fades. “But I’m worried that if I pursue a relationship with him that, first of all, his parents would never allow it. Stupid pureblood snobs. And also, who’s to say that he won’t leave me at the first sight of a prettier pureblooded witch that strikes his fancy? You know he’s quite the opportunist and will do anything to preserve his social hierarchy, and being with me… well, he’s sure to lose some superiority.”

“Really? You think that him wanting a relationship with the only person with higher marks in his year would make him lose superiority?”

“Well, it wouldn’t if it weren’t for my Muggle mother,” Rebecca grumbles, folding her arms.

Paula sets her teacup on its saucer and shakes her head at Rebecca. “Who gives a flying Flobberworm about blood status anymore? Times have changed, Rebecca. My own husband is muggle-born, and no one’s dropped dead yet. The old prejudices no longer exist except in elite social circles. And if I may be frank, despite that Nathaniel’s parents are pricks, especially that no-good father of his, if their son cared about any of the old ways, he wouldn’t be looking off after you as you leave or seeking you out in the stands on the Quidditch pitch before every match, and he certainly wouldn’t have been so snuggly holding your hand in the hallway while you were patrolling together the other night.”

Rebecca shrinks back in her seat, eyes widened in fear of reprimand. “Oh, so you…?”

“Don’t worry, you’re not in trouble, though you might be if you two didn’t look so adorable together.” Rebecca looks away and folds her hands in her lap. “Look, honey, I can’t tell you what to do, but answer me honestly: does he make you happy?”

“Yes, very.”

“Does he treat you well?”

“Like a princess.”

“Well, I think you have your answer right there.”

Rebecca still isn’t convinced and knots her brows together. “Well, can’t you just predict if he’s going to leave me or something? Can’t you read tea leaves or see it in the crystal ball?”

“That’s what’s tricky about Divination, Rebecca. It’s not an exact science. There’s no way to truly know people’s every future move, but we can use these tools as indicators for future patterns of behavior. And everything that I see is a sign that you should give him a chance.”

Okay, she can do that. Just give him a chance. No problem.

She’s wearing the most alluring shade of navy as she enters Professor Whitefeather’s office, which feels more like a sitting room than a formal office. Definitely large enough to host a New Year’s celebration for his favorite students. Of course, both Rebecca and Nathaniel are invited, though they choose to arrive separately, the latter actually arriving first with White Josh. He tries not to look too obvious each time the door opens as he’s searching for the brunette witch who’s captured his heart, but when she enters, the sparkle in his eyes as he adjusts his silver tie and clears his throat is a dead giveaway.

“Well, that’s my cue. I’m sure I won’t see you now that your princess is here.”

“Dude, come on…”

“It’s okay, man. Have fun tonight. Use protection, though.”

Nathaniel rolls his eyes jokingly and pats his friend on the shoulder before making his way to Rebecca by one of the couches. She looks up and meets his eyes as he approaches her, and his face immediately lifts into a smile when she finds him.

He greets her first. “Hi.”

“Hi yourself,” she smiles back.

Nathaniel lifts her hand, pressing a kiss to the back of it. “You look stunning, Rebecca.”

She looks away with a blush. “Thank you.” While she expects him to pull his hand away after greeting her with that unexpected kiss, he doesn’t and instead keeps holding her hand, lacing their fingers together. “Do you want to get a drink? Hopefully one that’s not laced with Veritaserum this time?”

“Not that I have anything to hide from you anymore, but sure, I’d love to.”

For appearance’s sake, she once again expects him to pull away, but he doesn’t. Like it’s the most casual thing in the world, he holds her hand and walks with her to the drinks table. Just like he did on their date in Hogsmeade as they strolled to Tomes and Scrolls where they spent hours perusing the shelves debating and teaching each other about art and history and all sorts of subjects until the shopkeeper literally had to chase them out when it neared 11:00 that night. And here he is now, his hand in her hand, smiling down at her just like that night, and all the world feels at peace.

The party continues, lively conversation and bubbly drinks keeping spirits high, and it’s nearing time for the midnight countdown to the new year. After managing to sneak away from a round of party games with some Hufflepuffs, Rebecca brings Nathaniel up to the balcony of the Astronomy Tower just before midnight, pulling him along by his hand and a smile so big he’s sure it could stretch from here to Muggle London.

After a few minutes in silence watching the students and teachers gather below for the fireworks display, Rebecca sighs and ticks herself under Nathaniel’s arm. “I’ve watched the fireworks from up here every New Year. Usually, I’m alone up here, but I’m really glad you’re here this year, Nathaniel.”

“Is it wrong to tell you I’ve never seen them before?”

Her jaw drops. “Not once? Not even from the Estate?”

“I’ve never understood what the spectacle was all about. I mean, we have magic, so we could create the same fireworks at any time. What’s so special about these?”

“It’s not so much the fireworks themselves, you see. It’s more the sentiment of the new year that makes them special. Turning over a new leaf, starting fresh, moving forward, striving to be better. It’s a tradition in the Muggle world to create a New Year’s Resolution. Most people say they want to lose weight or to exercise more or to not drink or smoke as much, but I don’t like making those types of resolutions.”

“Well, what is your resolution for this year?”

Nathaniel takes her hand gently and waits for her response. “I think… my resolution is to trust myself more. I’m a Gryffindor, I’m supposed to have all this courage, and I haven’t been embracing that. But I want to. I want to be brave.” Rebecca takes a breath and squeezes his hand. “What about you? Do you have any resolutions?”

“I haven’t thought much about it, honestly. I guess mine would be to outscore the brightest witch in our class on our Charms O.W.L.” Nathaniel playfully pinches her nose, and Rebecca looks away giggling as she blushes. She meets his gaze once more, and he uses the opportunity to tuck a few of her bangs behind her ear with a soft grin. “On a serious note, I think I’d like to try to be nicer. A certain Gryffindor has been corrupting me with her whole ‘good person’ schtick.”

“I see the best in people, what’s so wrong with that?”

He smiles, rubbing her shoulder. “Nothing, love. Nothing at all.”

For a moment, they stand in silence clasping hands, the night wind whipping around them as the lights from the courtyard below and the stars above dance in their eyes. Suddenly, the cheers erupt from the students and teachers down below signalling the commencement of the New Year's countdown. Rebecca looks down at the crowd from the balcony startled by their applause.

“Ten, nine, eight, seven…”

Nathaniel squeezes her hands, which turns her head back around to face him. He’s staring at her like she’s the universe’s prodigal daughter, stars in her eyes, snow in her lashes, wind in her hair, and sun in her soul. And god, he wants to kiss her.

“Six, five, four…”

It’s now or never.

“Three, two, one…”

It would have been never had she not swooped in and kissed him first, crushing their lips together as the fireworks explode in the night sky around them. Her hands twined tight around his neck, Rebecca kisses Nathaniel within an inch of her life. She can lie to herself all she likes, but if she didn’t take the chance now, she never would.

They break apart for air a few moments later but keep their faces close enough to share the same air. “I want this,” she starts breathily. A little stronger, she continues, “I want to try this for real. No games, no sneaking around. I want to be with you, Nathaniel.” He doesn’t say anything for a long beat, too stunned, heartbeat too fast to respond intelligently. “I—is that what you want? Because if it’s not, I’ll just forget all about it and—“

When she starts to pull away, he tightens his grip around her waist and looks at her intently. “You know that’s what I’ve wanted for longer than I care to admit.”

“So, it’s settled then. Be my boyfriend, Nathaniel Plimpton?”

“Only if you’ll be my girlfriend, Rebecca Bunch?”

She pretends to think it over dramatically, swaying back and forth from her right hip to left. The waiting becomes torturous for him as he groans her name in protest of her teasing, so she offers her hand to shake.

“You’ve got yourself a deal.” He shakes hands with her much like an agreement from months past, his palm tingling at the memory. “So, I put a spell on you, and now you're mine.”

There she goes reciting something he has not the slightest clue where it’s from, and yet, he wouldn’t change a thing. “Spell or no spell, Rebecca, I’ve always been yours.”

**Author's Note:**

> As always, feel free to reach out to me on Tumblr @justwanted2dance if you ever want to chat or send prompts!
> 
> Thanks for reading! 😊


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